1. Field
The disclosed embodiments relate to a semiconductor chip, a film, and a tape automated bonding (TAB) package comprising the chip and the film.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are numerous types of semiconductor packaging technologies. Specifically, TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) technology using an inner bead bonding (ILB) process has increasingly drawn attention.
The TAB technique may provide a reel-to-reel package assembly using a reel type tape wiring board, and a package manufactured by the TAB technique is generally referred to as a TAB package. The TAB package may be classified into a chip on board (COB) and a tape carrier package (TCP).
The TAB package, which is suitable for realizing thinness and a fine pitch, has been used in a wide range of applications, examples of which include in inner connections, a watch, or a calculator. Nowadays, the TAB package is widely used as a driver IC for a liquid crystal display, which is also referred to as a display driver IC (DDI), and a micro-processor for a personal computer.
As semiconductor devices are becoming finer and thinner, demand for finer pitch TAB packages is continuously on the rise. However, existing fine pitch TAB packages typically benefit from some minimal amount of routing space for lead wires, which helps avoid signal interference and manufacturing defects such as short circuits. In addition, thicker lead wires may be desirable to avoid defects such as cracks of lead wires, which can adversely affect product reliability. In pursuit of thinner, miniaturized devices, manufacturers may decrease the routing space (i.e., pitch) between lead wires and/or decrease the width of lead wires, both of which may decrease product performance and reliability. Alternative solutions are therefore desirable.